John Paxton is on the ride of his life. The 57-year-old Wyndham Vale resident has set himself a challenge of cycling 1450 kilometres over four weeks to raise money for the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Good Friday Appeal.
Now under way, his punishing schedule includes return trips to Little River or the You Yangs on weekdays, laps of Brunswick velodrome on Thursday nights and criterion races on weekends.
He knows the hard work is all for a cause close to home.
“Last year, my niece had a daughter and she was only a few weeks old when the doctors at the Royal Children’s Hospital discovered she had a hole in the heart,” he said.
“She underwent open heart surgery and the quality of the care she received was fantastic, so I wanted to do something to raise money for the hospital and help them continue their incredible work.”
With the help of his work colleagues at Wyndham council and sponsors including Bike Now in South Melbourne, Mr Paxton has set a fundraising target of $2500 for the ride.
“I took up cycling when I was 30 and gave it away when I had a young family and it’s only in the past three years that I’ve been back on the bike,” he said.
“I’ve won a few major championships in my age group and I’m heading to Maryborough at Easter for a veterans’ event. Cycling is a sport you can do as you get older and I hope I’ll still be riding when I’m 80.”
Good Friday Appeal
To donate to Mr Paxton’s fundraiser, call him on 0402 924 275 or e-mail tourdepako@bigpond.com. More details are at www.goodfridayappeal.com.au.
